Imagine the Austro-Hungarian formalities transplanted into the 21st century multi-ethnic Canada...
The Ball of Their Lives is a one-hour documentary film on the largest debutante balls in North America. The two distinctly Hungarian-Canadian cultural events are Toronto’s Helicon Ball and Montreal’s St. Stephen’s Ball. The film offers a slice of life from the Hungarian community in Canada.
These balls started fifty years ago as a way for Canada’s Hungarian community to hold on to an important tradition. While these sorts of balls disappeared in Hungary during the socialist years, in Canada it became premier social events. Hundreds of guests travel from the world over to relive the grandeur of the belle époque.
Credits
Director Tamás Wormser
Producer Tamás Wormser, Zoltan Furedi
Camera, Editing Tamás Wormser
Composer István Lakatos
Additional Camera Ivan Gekoff, Michael Soos, Daichi Saito
On-Line Editing Thierry Gendron
Sound Mix Dino Giancola
Voice-Over Eszter Biró, Júlia Ciamara, John Ferko
Broadcast history
Premiered on Rogers’ Omni TV – in Hungarian and English
Photos by
Ruth Kaplan
